Page 12 of Red Zone Awakened

Mace crouched in front of her so that they were at eye level with each other.“I swear that no matter what, nothing will happen to your parents.Believe me or not, we’re the good guys in all of this, and we don’t hurt innocent people.I’m honestly sorry that you got roped into this situation, and the way it happened wasn’t my call.If it had been, this would have gone down differently.”For a start, someone else would have gone in undercover.Someone who didn’t find the mark irresistible.

For a second, Keiko’s dark eyes appeared to soften, and Mace felt a strange longing stir deep within.Time slowed as they stared at each other.Had he ever seen a more beautiful woman?One imbued with both strength and vulnerability.A warrior.Just like him.

Mine,a voice whispered in the back of his mind.

He started, and the moment was gone.Mace swallowed hard, assuring himself there was no other voice in his head.The word had just been his imagination working overtime because of the insanity of their situation.Keiko wasn’t his, and he had no desire to claim her.He just wanted to do the right thing and get them both out of there alive.

She glared at him.A teeny, tiny badass.“It’s nice to know my kidnapper and extortionist would have done things differently to get me to help him break into a highly secure government facility.”She blinked at him, and if her eyes had been lasers, he’d have been ash.

Obviously, reasoning with her was pointless.One look at her face told him she wasn’t listening to a word he said anyway.In fact, he’d bet she was busy trying to figure out how to escape him and go it alone.Good luck with that.He was the only thing standing between her and Freedom’s guns.

Mace stood and reached for the comm panel on the wall.It was functioning, but it wasn’t transmitting.Signals were jammed for sure.He brought up the building map and studied it.What he found wasn’t reassuring.They were sixty-seven floors up with gun-happy terrorists between them and the exits.

The floor above them housed one of the residences the company’s CEO used when she was in town.Empty right now, it offered some hope, mainly due to its private elevator that went straight to the lobby and parking area in the basement.Although, both locations were probably well guarded by Freedom.

“Okay,” Keiko said in a saccharine tone that would have lulled no one into feeling secure.“I believe you aren’t with Freedom.”

Yeah, she was definitely up to something.“Relief overwhelms me.”

Mace tapped the screen, scrolling through maps, searching for the security hub.It wouldn’t be marked—only a team of amateurs would identify their security base.If it was on the map at all, it would show as a dead space, central and easily accessible.If he could make it to the hub, he’d have access to the building’s surveillance and would be able to see where Freedom was positioned.He’d also, hopefully, have access to weapons.

Keiko narrowed her eyes at him.“Do you need to be so sarcastic?”

“No.It’s just an added bonus.You get it free with the rescue.”

“You’re rescuing me?I don’t think so.You’re just protecting your interests.It’ll be a helluva lot easier to get out of this building without Enforcement shooting at you if you have the company’s press secretary at your side.”

“Whatever.”Great, now he sounded like a teenager.She brought out all his best qualities.

Of course, she called him on it.“Mature.I don’t need you protecting me, and I want nothing more to do with you.Just go.Save yourself.”

“You do not want me to go, princess.You wouldn’t last five minutes without me.Now, why don’t you stop complaining and help me for a change?Do you know where this building’s security hub is?”

He resumed flicking through the maps.There was a landing pad on the roof.That could come in handyifhe managed to get a message out to his team telling them he needed a pickup and if Freedom or Enforcement didn’t shoot them out of the sky while they did it.

“Why do you want to know where the security hub is?I’m pretty sure there aren’t any security personnel in there now.”

Did she have to question everything?Couldn’t she just answer him and help him save her ass?She was making it damn hard to keep her alive.“Do you know where it is or not?”

Keiko pushed past him and stabbed a finger at the screen.“The security hub’s located there.It’s marked ‘Development’ on the map.”

She gave him what he could only assume was supposed to be a death glare.It was adorable.What was she going to do if he double-crossed her?Bite his ankles?

“Okay,” she said.“I agree that we should stick together until we get out of this building.”She lifted her chin.Royalty deigning to consort with the commoners.“But no more picking me up and carrying me around.And don’t even think about sex.We are never riding that train again.Keep your hands to yourself, or you’ll be sorry.I can defend myself.”

A bubble of laughter burst out of Mace, surprising them both.“No, you really can’t.Princess, you got to know that if you attacked me, you’d be unconscious before you could land a blow.”It was a lie because there was no way Mace would hit a woman.Any woman.Still, she didn’t know that.With a shake of his head, he turned back to the screen and flicked through the floor plan for the security hub.

“The bigger they are, the harder they fall,” she snapped.

Even after a hundred years, he was still being tortured by that saying.Figured.“Like I haven’t heard that before.Can you communicate with the network or any of your colleagues?”

She huffed out an irritated breath.“No.I tried as soon as the trouble broke out, and I’ve been trying ever since.I can access my integrated data chips but can’t send or receive information.”

“So basically, you’re a stand-alone PC.One that isn’t connected to the network.”

Keiko cocked her head and considered him.“What’s a PC?”

“Never mind.”